We are no longer selling our honey online, because it is not cost-effective for us to do so. We can sell every drop of honey we produce right here in Las Cruces, without the added labor of packing the honey to withstand the rigors of shipping, taking it to the post office, maintaining a website, etc. So from now on we will be selling our honey only at Farmers Market, and three grocery stores in Las Cruces. Thank you for your past patronage, and be sure to visit us at Farmer’s Market if you are ever in Las Cruces!

It’s a sweet life!

Gordon & Laura Solberg
Sun Mountain Honey

We produce quality New Mexico honey in southern New Mexico -- the Land of Enchantment -- on the border with Old Mexico – home of Billy the Kid, Smokey the Bear, majestic blue mountains, howling coyotes, brimming irrigation ditches, sandy deserts, bosque river valleys, beautiful sunsets, sparkling canyon streams, old adobe houses, mariachi bands, springtime dust storms, creaking windmills, bounding tumbleweeds, tarantulas, scorpions, red hot chile peppers, millions of cactus... and some of the finest honey to be found anywhere.

We are Gordon and Laura Solberg, and we produce honey and sell it at several locations around Las Cruces. We have been keeping bees since 1972. Our hives are located along the Mesilla Valley from Radium Springs to Brazito.

Honey is concentrated flower nectar. Bees gather this nectar -- which is as thin as water -- add a few enzymes, store it in combs, and evaporate out the excess water. When the honey is thick enough, the bees cap it over, and store it for winter use. To produce a pound of honey, the bees in a hive travel 55,000 miles and tap 2 million flower blossoms. Different types of flowers bloom at different locations at different times of the year, which allows us to keep the different types of honey separate.

Our honey is unique in several ways. Not only do we keep the different types of honey separate, we process our honey the minimum amount possible. All of our extracting and straining is done at room temperature, which preserves the quality and delicate flavor of the honey. Our honey is strained, not filtered. This means the natural pollen grains remain in the honey instead of being filtered out. Our honey is totally natural.

Here is a brief description of the different types of honey we produce:

MESQUITE. This is our most popular honey, which our bees gather from mesquite blossoms. Light color, very mild flavor. Harvested late May.

SUMMER BLEND. This is a natural blend of honey from saltcedar, tornillo, and late-blooming mesquite which bloom along the Rio Grande near Radium Springs. Medium color, strong flavor. Harvested June-August. This is very popular with people who prefer a robust honey.

VALLEY BLEND. Medium to dark color, mild flavor. Harvested June-August. This is mostly alfalfa. Depending on location, rainfall, and time of year, this honey can also be mixed with mesquite, cactus, cotton, or desert wildflower. When people want “regular” honey with a good flavor, we recommend this one.

DESERT WILDFLOWER. Harvested September-October. Variable in color and flavor, since there are so many different kinds of nectar-producing flowers. The crop depends on the timing and intensity of the summer rains.

ORANGE BLOSSOM. This is the one variety we don’t produce ourselves. Whenever we visit Arizona, we bring back Orange Blossom honey from Phoenix and bottle it for our customers. This is a light, mild honey with a gourmet flavor.

CHILE HONEY. We make this by adding New Mexico hot red chile powder to Valley Blend honey. This honey is hot, but not too hot, and is great for sopaipillas, biscuits, bagels, pancakes, salad dressing, and as a glaze for chicken, porkchops, or steak. For recipes, please check our website.

Honey for Health

A new study shows that a daily dose of honey raises levels of disease-fighting antioxidants in the blood. Researchers say honey contains polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants that are thought to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Scientists at the University of California conducted a study which showed that the more honey people ate, the higher the levels of antioxidants in their blood. Antioxidants are thought to protect humans from disease by slowing potentially dangerous disease processes in the body. Researchers concluded that substituting honey for traditional sweeteners may be a healthier option.

Honey for Allergies

Raw honey harvested from the flowers you are allergic to is best for allergies. Many people are allergic to the pollen from wildflowers that bloom after heavy summer rains, and some of our customers have reported being able to stop medication after eating our desert wildflower honey. Raw honey is the best nutritionally, since it contains all the enzymes and live pollens.

Here’s a testimonial from a satisfied customer:

“Just a spoonful of honey makes my allergies go away!” I can’t help wanting to sing this when I feel relief from my severe pollen allergies. My discomfort used to reach a peak in the spring and then again in the fall.

Just six years ago I was one of the unfortunates that had to take four allergy shots a week in order to build up my immune system to the plant pollen that I react to. These allergy shots consist of extracts of the things that I am allergic to. Often I would have reactions to the injections. A huge welt would rise and itch like mad, and sometimes my breathing would become labored. It was not any fun to have to take the injections.

If that was not enough to get me down, the cost of the vials plus the price of each and every injection was enormous. When I first began with the testing and injections I had health insurance with my employer. When I changed jobs, I could no longer afford to keep receiving my injections. After a few months my allergies were in full force.

One of my friends suggested I try local honey for my allergies. I was puzzled until she told me that local honey contained the pollen of the same plants that I was allergic to. I tried it. Within a few weeks my allergies had subsided and the sneezing, itchy eyes, and congestion were practically a thing of the past! In the peak season I sometimes get a slight reaction to the pollen, but it is nothing like it was in the past.

I consistently take a spoonful of honey in my cereal or tea every morning. I use honey instead of sugar in a lot of my meals. The honey that works best for me is Laura and Gordon Solberg’s Fall Wildflower honey. I buy it two gallons at a time for the convenience. I sure don’t want to run out!

This is not a paid advertisement. I am writing this testimonial in hopes that honey can improve the quality of your life as it has mine.

If you have any other questions, Laura or Gordon Solberg are a wealth of information about honey.

—Juliette Wilson-Dickert

Dark Honey

In a study that analyzed 19 samples of honey from 14 different floral sources, University of Illinois scientists found that darker honey has less water and more antioxidants than light-colored honey.

Antioxidants ­- substances that slow the oxidation of other substances ­- counter the toxic effects of free radicals, which can cause DNA damage that can lead to age-related problems such as arthritis, strokes and cancer.

Many people eat pollen to control allergies, or to increase their energy level. Bee pollen is a great supplement since it contains a wide variety of minerals and amino acids, and is totally natural. We sell our pollen at Mountain View Market (Food Co-op), at Toucan Market, and at Farmer’s Market. Read More ...

We sell bottles of propolis tincture, and raw propolis in little baggies. Propolis is plant resin that the bees gather to seal up holes in their hives. It has many therapeutic properties. For more propolis info, please check the pollen page on this website. Read More ...

Beeswax

We produce beeswax as a by-product of honey production. We sell one ounce cakes, and larger chunks as well. We also sell hand dipped, 100% beeswax candles.

We Need Hive Locations!

Due to the urbanization of the Las Cruces area, we are always looking for new hive locations, as agricultural land gets replaced by housing developments. We prefer locations in the Mesilla Valley, or on the edge of the valley. We requeen every year with extra-gentle queens. We swap honey for hive locations.

Where to buy our honey

Farmer’s Market. We are at the Las Cruces Farmer’s Market on Main Street downtown from 8-1:30 every Saturday. We are located on the east side of Main Street, north of Coas Books, and directly across from the Museum of Nature and Science.